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Kilo– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thousand.” It is often used in units of measure.

Kilo– comes from Greek ����ī́�����Ǿ�, meaning “a thousand.” The Latin translation of ����ī́�����Ǿ� is mille, “a thousand,” which is the source of English terms such as millennium and millipede. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

A unit of measure that features the form kilo– is kilowatt, “a unit of power, equal to 1000 watts.”

The kilo– part of the word means “a thousand,” as we already know. The –watt part of the word refers to the standard unit of power. Kilowatt literally means “a thousand watts.”

What are some words that use the combining form kilo-?

• kilobar
• kilobyte
• kilocurie
• kilogram (using the equivalent form of kilo– in French)
• kilometer (using the equivalent form of kilo– in French)
• kiloton

What are some other forms that kilo– may be commonly confused with?

• klepto-
• kinesi-

A ton is a unit of measure for weight. With this in mind, what does kiloton literally mean?